Improvement in mechanisms for unfastening end-gates



A. n. Bouma.' Mechanism for Unfastening End-Gates.

No.151466, Patentedlune2,l874.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEErc ANSELM D. BOURNE, OF FAIRHAVEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MECHANISMS FOR UNFASTENING END-GATES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 151 ,466, (lated J une 2, 187 4 application'iled May 8, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANsELM D. BOURNE, of Fairhaven, in the county of Bristol, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Mechanisms ibrUnfastening the Fallin g-Boards of lVagons, of which the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an isometrical perspective view of a wagon-body provided with my invention, the board being fastened; and Fig. 2, a like view, the board being unfastened.

Like letters indicate corresponding parts in the dii'erent iigures of the drawing.

My invention relates to means for operating the fastening-catches which hold the fallingboards of market-wagons and lighter earriages, and consists in a novel construction and arrangement of the parts, as hereinafter niore'fully s'et forth and claimed, by which a cheaper and more effective device for this purpose is produced than is now in common use.

An elaborate description is rendered unnecessary by the extreme simplicity of my improvement.

It is well known that the falling-boards of wagons,as ordinarily constructed, are held or fastened up by means of spring-catches, similar to the catches C C, Fig. 1, attached to the side-boards. In order to drop or unfasten the board, both of the catches have to be raised or detached, and held up until the board is swung clear of them-an operation which it is diiiicult to perform satisfactorily by the ordinary means, especially Where the body of the wagon is very wide, for reasons which will be readily appreciated. My invention is designed to obviate this difficulty, and

to this end I make use of the rocker-shaft E, Fig. l, mounted in the boxes G Gr, which are attached to the outside of the board I3, near its upper edge, as shown, On each end of this shaft there is a cam-shaped lift, I), and in the center a lever or handle, F, s0 arranged that when the handle is elevated, as in Fig. 2, both of the lifts l) will be brought against the under sides of the spring-catches C C, and the catches raised to release the board, permitting it to be turned down in -the usual manner. Then the board is fastened up, as in Fig. l, the handle F and lifts D assume a vertical position. It will be seen that in the use of my improvement one hand only is `required to detach the catches and turn down the board, as, when the handle F is elevated and the catches raised, a slight pull 011 the handle is all that will be required to release the board and permit it to drop.

Having thus described my improvement, what I claim is- In combination with the falling-board B, the rocker-shaft E, provided with the lifts D and handle F for operating the springs C, substantially as specified.

ANSELM l). BOURNE.

Vitnesses:

ZENAs E. BOUENE, THMs.W. TABER. 

